St. Louis, MO, October 15 – In response to the growing demand for certified industry professionals, the National Wood Flooring Association has launched NWFA Certified Professionals Inc., a stand-alone corporation that will offer a variety of certification programs for the wood flooring industry.
Installation Certification with the NWFA includes both a written exam and a hands-on exam. The written portion is a three-hour on-line exam that consists of questions based on the NWFA’s Hardwood Flooring Installation Guidelines.
The exam is designed to identify an individual’s knowledge of wood flooring through a comprehensive review of installation processes. The hands-on portion is a three-hour test designed to demonstrate technical mastery of wood flooring installation skills.
Sand & Finish Certification also includes both a written and a hands-on exam. The three-hour online written exam is based on the NWFA’s Hardwood Flooring Installation Guidelines. The exam is designed to identify an individual’s knowledge of wood flooring through a comprehensive review of sanding and finishing processes. The hands-on exam is designed to demonstrate technical mastery of wood flooring sand and finish skills.
Inspector Certification includes a written exam, and submission of five inspection reports to the NWFA Certified Professionals Panel for review. The written exam consists of 360 multiple choice, true/false questions, that will test knowledge in five key areas: Substrates; Maintenance; Problems, Causes and Cures; Installation and Sand & Finish; and Report Procedures.
The primary reference materials, and study guides, for the test questions include the NWFA’s Hardwood Flooring Installation Guidelines, NWFA Technical Publication No. C100 titled "Maintenance and Recoating," and NWFA Technical Publication No. C200 titled "Problems, Causes and Cures." In addition, the exam includes two Inspection Report essay questions in which the applicant will be presented with two scenarios simulating a complaint to be inspected.
The applicant is to review the scenarios and complete a full inspection report using the NWFA Standard Inspection Report form, which will be provided. After confirmation is received that the written exam has been passed, the candidate is awarded provisional status as an NWFA Certified Inspector. This provisional status will remain in effect until the candidate has submitted five inspection reports to the NWFA Certified Professionals Panel for review. Once five reports are completed and approved, full NWFA Certified Inspector status is awarded.
Additional certification programs currently are being developed for Factory Finished Installation, and Wood Flooring Sales.
For more information about the NWFA’s Certification Programs, visit www.nwfa.org and click on the Certification menu link.
The National Wood Flooring Association is a non-profit trade organization of more than 3,200 wood flooring professionals working worldwide to educate consumers, architects, designers, and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. The NWFA can be contacted at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63005, or at 800-422-4556 (USA) or 800-848-8824 (Canada).
